23 Nov Directions EMEA 2023: Will AI and Copilot transform the way we use Business Central?
In early November, the largest conference for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Partners was held in Lyon. Directions EMEA 2023 brought together over 3000 people from the Business Central community worldwide. Naturally, the IT.integro team also participated in the event, representing the company as a Silver Sponsor.
IT.integro at Directions EMEA 2023
Directions EMEA is always an excelleng opportunity for us to engage in conversations with our partners, meet new partners, exchange experiences, gain insights from sessions, and promote our applications for Business Central.
A year ago, during Directions EMEA 2022 in Hamburg, we promoted our applications for groups of companies and international organizations – Global Integration Apps. Although we currently deliver over 20 business applications on AppSource, we decided to promote the 6 most popular applications among our clients and the clients of our partners. We continued discussions with partners about the Master Data Management System, Advanced Intercompany, and Intercompany Insights – as these are our most well-known solutions. Other of our applications also captured the interest of conference visitors.
Partners often inquired about Advanced Product Configurator – an application designed for manufacturing companies that enables better product creation based on customer demand while maintaining the optimization of the production process. Electronic banking applications were also popular among conference visitors. Electronic Banking allows for the standardization and automation of electronic banking processes, and Electronic Banking Extensions provide interfaces for communication with banks in individual countries, in accordance with their local legal requirements.
Conversations in the expo zone also revolved around the Bonuses & Accruals application, which facilitates the calculation of sales and purchase bonuses, retrospective discounts, as well as accruals.
When does the functionality for master data management in Business Central become insufficient?
This question was addressed by our Product Development Managers – Krzysztof Sypniewski and Michał Zdanowicz. In the ISV sessions, they took on the role of an IT.integro Consultant and a BC Partner interested in IT.integro applications for their client – an international company with various branches, including manufacturing and trading companies. Through live demos, they showcased the new functionality available in Business Central for master data management, as well as the features provided by the Master Data Management System. They presented scenarios highlighting when standard functionality proves effective and when it does not. We invite you to dive into the differences between Master Data Management System and master data in Business Central.
Our experts also presented to the lecture participants key processes that are supported by applications such as Advanced Intercompany, Intercompany Insights, Advanced Product Configurator, Electronic Banking and Bonuses & Accruals. Each of these solutions has found its application in individual companies that are part of international groups.
The biggest Directions EMEA in history
During Directions EMEA 2023, participants could choose from 248 sessions led by 247 speakers eager to share their knowledge. The event was also supported by a record number of 97 sponsors.
Women in Dynamics at Directions EMEA 2023
For years, Women in Dynamics – an initiative supporting women in the world of Business Central – has played a crucial role in Directions 4 Partners. Through this initiative, diversity among conference participants and speakers has been increased. It encourages collaboration between women and men to promote equal opportunities and introduce diversity into their organizations.
Development of Dynamics 365 Business Central
Business Central is a system that stands out for its efficiency, level of security, scalability and reliability. Its functionality is based on handling financial activities and supply chain management. It meets rapidly changing business needs and is a flexible system that is easy to implement and configure. And most of all, it supports users in their daily work, providing a platform for communication, productivity and business process management.
More and more Business Central online customers
Year by year, Business Central gains more and more customers in the cloud model, exceeding the number of 30,000. The number of active users of Business Central online increased by as much as 75%. This is the result of the intensive development of cloud computing, but also of Microsoft’s long-standing policy, which supports business in adapting new technologies and invests in increasing their availability. The cloud is no longer just a trend, but a necessary direction in which both the world of technology and the world of business are heading.
Does Business Central bring business benefits?
The implementation of an ERP system, no matter how modern and technologically advanced, is not effective if it brings no business benefits. The organizations surveyed over a 3-year period recorded a return on investment of 172% and an increase in productivity by 18%. This shows how the effective use of technological opportunities may affect the financial performance.
New features in Business Central
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is under continuous development. The version of the ERP system released in autumn provides users with many new possibilities, especially in the field of servicing companies within the group. These include intercompany transactions, master data management, electronic document transfer, effective warehouse management, cost allocation support and transfer reconciliation with AI support.
Development of the mobile version of Business Central
Among the new features, there is also a new version of Business Central for mobile devices. This is particularly relevant in the context of increasing the availability of the system, data and information. The new functionalities of the mobile version concern mainly two areas – barcode scanning and the internal search engine.
Business Central’s growth directions
During Directions EMEA, areas that will be developed for the next Business Central 2024 release wave 1 were also announced. Microsoft’s investments will focus on functionalities related to finance, reporting, and supply chain management. We can also expect new capabilities in terms of AI support and collaboration. Additional localizations will be introduced to enhance system availability, along with improvements for end-users and new features delivered through the Power Platform. Technical advancements, including enhanced performance and scalability, streamlined development, and administration, will also be part of the ongoing developments.
A landmark year for Business Central business solutions
Last year was a major success for business applications for Business Central. They are more and more effective at providing customers with the features they need quickly and efficiently. The popularity of Power Platform tools is growing, as is the number of Dynamics 365 partners who create their business applications. These factors, along with the growing number of Business Central customers, have a direct effect on the 29% increase in revenue from the sale of Dynamics 365 tools.
Intelligent ERP system with Microsoft Copilot
However, it was Copilot and the new opportunities provided by AI that were the highlight of this year’s Directions EMEA 2023. During nearly 250 sessions, the topic of artificial intelligence was omnipresent. Microsoft Copilot was discussed during keynotes, sessions and talks in the expo zone. Specialists from partner companies were looking for ways in which Copilot could make their and their clients’ work easier.
Copilot, in particular, aligns with fundamental objectives such as task automation, workflow optimization, fostering creativity, and content creation. The keynotes showcased AI in action across sales processes, customer service, and developer tasks.
Although we are just discovering the new possibilities offered by Copilot, the growing potential of artificial intelligence shows that AI tools can change the way we use Business Central.
See you at Directions EMEA 2024!
We feel inspired after Directions EMEA 2023. We are equipped with new knowledge, experiences and ideas that we will implement and share with our clients and partners. Once again, we invite you to visit our Business Central partner portal and explore our business applications.
See you in Vienna at the upcoming Directions EMEA 2024!
